Features of the Structure of the Material Formed from AK4-1 Powder Using Laser Energy

The paper presents the results of studying the microstructure of samples obtained with laser processing of AK4-1 aluminum alloy powder. It has been found that increasing the initial temperature of the substrate to 100...150 °C allows to use this powder material in directed energy deposition (DED) additive process to create stiffening elements on the surface of thin-walled aluminum parts. When the specified temperature condition is satisfied, the crystallization rate decreases, allowing to obtain samples with almost no internal cracks. The results of comparing the microstructure and the microhardness of commercial AK4-1 wrought alloy and the samples obtained with DED process are presented. The structure of the samples prepared with laser cladding is more disperse in comparison with wrought alloy. The microhardness of the sample prepared at pre-heated substrate is comparable with wrought alloy. The conceptual architecture of the decision support software for laser powder cladding processes is presented. Its information and software components are briefly described.